Am I an idiot?

[gentle giants]

For some retarded reason, I went on the classified section of the National Mini Rex Rabbit Club and was browsing ads. And then I saw it. *GASP* A FREE Broken chin doe!!! IN central Illinois!! Which is where I live!!!! Pedigreed and "nothing wrong with her, justa little heavy for show".

Now, you have to understand, I spent over a year looking high and low for chin breeding stock when I was still breeding. I finally found a pair and a blue chin with all chin in her pedigree. For all three I paid about $200. The doe from the pair had three litters, not one of which survived. The blue chin decided she didn't like the chin buck, and never even got pregnant.

So anyway, I see this ad, and it was like my brain went away! I emailed the owner straight away asking for details and location, and I know if the doe is anything even decent, and isn't like four hours away from me or something, I will probably go get her. I am so crazy! Like I have time/space for more breeding with all my rescues! But I keep thinking, well, I do have that one 36" x 36" cage that I haven't set up yet, that would work for a brood cage....

 

[weedflemishgiants]

:bunnydance:Go for it. You only live once.

 

[polly]

If thats what makes you happy hon then it can only be good! do you still have the other chins?

Let me know how you go when you get to meet her!

Oh and by the way thanks Myra the blocks all arrived today just in time to give to my new chins :biggrin2:

 

[Pet_Bunny]

Seize the moment. Opportunity knocks.

Did I say it too loud?

 

[Alexah]

Sometimes are our hearts decide what's right for us despite our brains telling us otherwise. I'm thinking that this is one of those cases. And you should follow your heart - it's telling you to do this for a reason.

I really hope all will work out for you and your potential new addition .

 

[BlueGiants]

I think you were meant to see that ad... go for it! And please let us know if you get her! (PICTURES!!!) inkbouce:

 

[gentle giants]

I found out there is one other issue. She is almost two, and has never had a litter. I would really, really love to have chins from my buck, but is it worth endangering the doe's health? She is on the large side for a Mini Rex, would that make it less of a risk?

The owner of the doe said she has a really great coat which is the only area my buck tends to be weak in. My buck, Duke, has won every class he has been entered in, and (I think, LOL) has fabulous type. What do you guys think??

 

[gentle giants]

Here are the pics the owner sent me of the doe. She said the color in the second one isn't accurate, she doens't really have that brownish staining that it shows. I know it's hard to tell from a pic, but what do you MR breeders think?

 

[TinysMom]

I'll preface this with the statement that opinions are like feet - we all have them - and some stink. Mine is gonna stink.

I wouldn't do it. I would not subject a 2 year old doe that has never had a litter to a pregnancy. I think if you do - you're going to wind up with "pencil" kits that die in the birth canal as they're being born and while maybe they would stretch things out for a later litter - I just feel like you're putting her through an unnecessary risk at her age.

It isn't that two is old for breeding - it is that two is old for a FIRST breeding.

I don't breed minirex....I breed lionheads. But I've heard that said about almost all the breeds....that they should be bred by age "x" or you shouldn't breed them at all.

Sorry about my stinky opinion....but you did ask.



gentle giants wrote:

I found out there is one other issue. She is almost two, and has never had a litter. I would really, really love to have chins from my buck, but is it worth endangering the doe's health? She is on the large side for a Mini Rex, would that make it less of a risk?

The owner of the doe said she has a really great coat which is the only area my buck tends to be weak in. My buck, Duke, has won every class he has been entered in, and (I think, LOL) has fabulous type. What do you guys think??

 

[BSAR]

She is so beautiful! I have never seen a broken*chin in Mini Rex. Is that color recognized for the Mini Rex? I hope you get her! She is a doll!

Edit: Fixed broken blue to chin. That is what I meant lol.

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

BSAR wrote:

She is so beautiful! I have never seen a broken blue in Mini Rex. Is that color recognized for the Mini Rex? I hope you get her! She is a doll!

She's a broken chin.... didn't you read that? haha.

She's sooo gorgeous!

Emily

 

[lilangelhotots]

Oh she is Gorgeous!! She looks to be a little long in type but it may just be that she has some extra weight in her midsection(or at least from the picture it appears to be). If it were me, I'd certainly take her, maybe try to get her to loose a little bit of weight and then re-assess breeding her. Good luck on whatever you deceide. She's a beauty!!:biggrin2:

 

[Bo B Bunny]

It's a sign! you need to get her. It's too weird that she's right there and free to a good home.... I mean, come on now?!





Plus I love MR!! :biggrin2:

HOWEVER, I just noticed she's never been bred. I wouldn't do that! If you get her, I'd have her as a pet, not a brood doe.

Are you getting back into breeding? I thought you'd gotten homes for a lot of them.

 

[Haley]

Is there any way you could get her and keep her as a pet? I agree with Peg that 2 is too old to start breeding a doe. If I remember correctly, we had a member on here who got a minirex doe who was around two, after we all warned her that was probably too old to breed her for the first time, and all the babies died.

Also, if youre having trouble paying for the care of the bunnies you have, maybe its not such a good time to bring another home? And if you do to breed her, thus creating more bunnies to feed, care for, and find homes for?

Thats just my .02, for what its worth.

 

[gentle giants]

Peg and Haley, you are both right. Those two reasons are why I am wondering if this is the right thing to do. I will give you the main reasons why I want to do it:

1. Chins, and especially broken chins, are pretty rare, especially in this state.

2. Duke has excelent type, and has already proved (with my black does) that he will pass on that type.

3. I asked the owner about the doe's pedigree, and it is all chin but for one. As the same is true for Duke, that would make chin babies a high likelyhood.

Of course, there are the cons as well.

1. The age of the doe, and a therefore higher chance of her having problems/losing the babies.

2. The space/money that it would take to raise the babies.

Because of the fact that chins are rare around here, and Duke's show record, I don't think I would have any problem finding homes for the kits. If the doe had problems and needed emergency care, it would make money tight fora while but I am pretty sure I could handle it, with a little juggling. This is where I am going back and forth,do Duke and this doe's combined pedigrees and the rarity of the color make it worth the risk? Like I said, I would dearly love to have babies from Duke, I absolutly adore him and this color, but of course I don't want to hurt the doe.

 

[NZminilops]

Just wanted to say that she is lovely! Good luck on your decision, and I don't think you're an idiot at all.

 

[TinysMom]

gentle giants wrote:

This is where I am going back and forth,do Duke and this doe's combined pedigrees and the rarity of the color make it worth the risk? Like I said, I would dearly love to have babies from Duke, I absolutly adore him and this color, but of course I don't want to hurt the doe.

Here are my thoughts on this (since you've asked)....while chin may be a rare color in your state - it might not be so rare in other states. What about taking the money you might have to spend on an emergency c-section (save up the money) and buy a really nice quality young doe from someone going to the ARBA convention - and see if maybe a breeder who lives in your state/area that is going to ARBA this fall - could bring it home to you. That way - you get a young, healthy doe if you really want to breed.

Believe it or not - I too have been in your shoes - sort of. The year I went to Lionhead Nationals, I brought home this gorgeous squirrel colored doe (that is the dilute of chinchilla). I was going to breed her to my new chin buck. However, I took a break from breeding for a bit - and then I decided to only breed COD colors that could be shown (which she wasn't). One day I looked at her and went "Wow...she's a NICe doe...I should breed her...." and I pulled out her pedigree to check it over - and realized she was 20 months old.

So I now have a beautiful, squirrel colored (rare in lionheads - sort of) - chinchilla doe that is gorgeous....and a pet. I won't risk her life or make her go through a painful delivery - even though she's a nice size for a doe.

I think a lot of it comes down to - are we gonna do what we want (because we want a certain color or a certain thing) - or are we gonna do what is best for the animal?

As many of y'all know - I just had an 18 month old Californian give birth for the first time....it was NOT a planned pregnancy (but I am not a big fan of emergency spays either). I was a nervous wreck during her whole pregnancy and I watched as she gave birth to some of the kits. Yeah - she had a harder time then she would've had if she were younger. I wish she'd never broken into the buck's cage...but now she is ok and the kits (most of them) - are ok. I am still worried about one - I think it might have been the first one through the birth canal and maybe it got hurt or something....I don't know.

Anyway - since you asked - I shared my thoughts. I understand where you're coming from - I love some of the rare colors too.

:biggrin2:

 

[gentle giants]

TinysMom wrote:

gentle giants wrote:

This is where I am going back and forth,do Duke and this doe's combined pedigrees and the rarity of the color make it worth the risk? Like I said, I would dearly love to have babies from Duke, I absolutly adore him and this color, but of course I don't want to hurt the doe.

Here are my thoughts on this (since you've asked)....while chin may be a rare color in your state - it might not be so rare in other states. What about taking the money you might have to spend on an emergency c-section (save up the money) and buy a really nice quality young doe from someone going to the ARBA convention - and see if maybe a breeder who lives in your state/area that is going to ARBA this fall - could bring it home to you.

I think a lot of it comes down to - are we gonna do what we want (because we want a certain color or a certain thing) - or are we gonna do what is best for the animal?

Well, actually, chin is a rare color just about anywhere. I searched for over a year to find chin breeding stock, and I looked everywhere. Just to sort of confirm it I guess, I read your post and went and did an internet search. I looked through at least 75 ads, in at least three different states, and the only one that had any chins had few enough that they only had two bucks available for sale.

Plus the fact that I don't know anyone that is going to convention, and I can't be gone overnight to go myself because I don't want to leave my kids. I'm not saying I am set on doing this, because it's still up in the air, but the plain fact of the matter is that this is most likely the last chance I will have to get offspring from Duke. By the time another chance like this comes up, he may be too old to breed.

 

[Lias_ark]

Two and not bred? Free? Go for it.The main problem with breeding an older doe that has never been bred is getting her bred.If you have the space why not?

My first doe was free and 18 months never bred before. She had a luitter of 4 nice healthy babies.

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Haley wrote:

Is there any way you could get her and keep her as a pet? I agree with Peg that 2 is too old to start breeding a doe. If I remember correctly, we had a member on here who got a minirex doe who was around two, after we all warned her that was probably too old to breed her for the first time, and all the babies died.

If you're talking about me & my doe, all of her babies didn't die....one survived out of four....and the same buck she was bred to, was bred to another doe who had the same problem - it was her first litter and she was 8 months old.

Anyway....I agree....if you get her, I would just keep her as a pet.

Emily